Tl* the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen gti. The contact stated that while attempting to drive, the vehicle hesitated and made an abnormal noise when shifting gears. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the transmission failed and as a result a flush needed to perform. The remedy failed to repair the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 55,000.
2008 Volkswagen GTI transmission problems
40 complaints (60% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 16,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 40
- of this car's complaints
- 60%
- typical mileage
- 16,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Automatic transmission33
- Manual transmission2
- Driveline2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Volkswagen GTI transmission problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2008 Volkswagen GTI transmission
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Vehicle stall/loss motive power
The subject vehicles are equipped with direct shift gearbox (dsg) transmissions, which feature a 6-speed automatic gearbox with two wet running clutches (dual clutch) in which the clutch mechanism and gear changes are electrohydraulically operated by a mechatronic control unit.the dsg mechatronic controller includes extensive self diagnostic functions and strategies to ensure safe operation and prevent system/component damage in the event of component failures or harsh operating conditions.the basic hierarchy of fault modes includes some that only result in the storage of a diagnostic trouble code (dtc) and cause no loss of function, some that store a dtc and reduce vehicle operation to a limp home mode, and some that store a dtc and cause an interruption of motive power (I.e., open clutch).the driver is alerted to the latter two modes by the dash gear position indicator (prnds) flashing. One of the conditions that results in interruption of motive power is excess gearbox temperature.the system initially responds to increased gearbox temperature by ramping down engine torque.if the temperature keeps rising the mechatronic unit responds by opening the clutch.in a defect information report submitted to the federal safety agency on august 20, 2009, volkswagen described a potential defect in the wiring harnesses of the dsg gearbox temperature sensors used in approximately 16,000 model year (my) 2009 and 2010 volkswagen (eos, jetta and gti) and audi (a3 and tt/tt roadster) vehicles equipped with dsg transmissions and built from september 2008 through august 2009 (the federal safety agency recall no. 09v‑333, volkswagen recall no. 37e3/s7 and audi recall no 37e4/j7). Volkswagen provided this description of the defect, the wiring harness of a temperature sensor in the dsg may have connector wires that were insufficiently crimped by the connector supplier during a limited production period.with insufficiently crimped connector wires, a temperature sensor has the potential to falsely detect a high gearbox oil temperature, causing the transmission to abruptly shift to neutral.if this happens, the selector lever position indicator within the instrument panel will flash.in addition, the depress brake pedal indicator light will be illuminated, alerting the driver to apply the brakes.in heavy traffic, the abrupt shift to neutral could lead to a crash without warning.volkswagen estimated that less than one percent of the recalled vehicles may contain the defect condition. Odi identified 40 complaints that appear to be related to the temperature sensor defect condition described by volkswagen.volkswagen received 139 complaints related to the condition, with 7 involving vehicles reported to odi, resulting a 172 total complaints to odi and volkswagen.all of these complaints involve the my 2009 an 2010 vehicles subject to recall 09v‑333. Odi also identified complaints of harsh/jerky shifting in some volkswagen vehicles with dsg.volkswagen attributed this condition, which typically occurs at very low speeds, to excessive wear in the bushings of the two solenoid valves in the mechatronic unit that control clutch operation.volkswagen does not believe that the this condition is a safety defect because the changes in shift quality develop gradually over time, do not cause a loss of motive power and have not resulted in any fatalities, injuries or serious crashes (there were three reported property damage incidents resulting in minor body damage in very low speed, parking maneuvers).volkswagen addressed this problem in the field with a customer service program that includes the replacement of potentially affected mechatronic units as well
PE09035
What 2008 Volkswagen GTI owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
While driving the transmission dog bone mount bolt broke. This damaged: the transmission housing - the transmission housing support - the catalytic converter assembly - steering - the wiring harness - the radiator - the radiator fan - additional items. The loss of control that resulted could have LED to bodily injury. Vw is declining warranty coverage for this defect.
Came to complete stop. Pressed on gas pedal to move forward into intersection. After automatic transmission shifted into 2nd, the car loss all engagement and felt as if it was in neutral. I stepped on the gas pedal further and after 5 seconds, the engine RPM"s increased and the transmission lunged forward. I am unsure if it was the dsg transmission slipping into neutral, or a throttle issue. Dealer replaced mechatronic unit which did not alleviate this frequent problem.
2008 vw gti dsg--automatic transmission problem: the car "jumps" randomly when releasing foot off the brake at a red light, or when engaging from park to drive and releasing brake. Many "close calls" to crashing and/or property damage due to known issue, especially when parallel parked on street: I.e. Car jumping forward or backward potentially damaging parked cars around or, even worse, "jumping" into the traffic lanes. Dealership deflects the issue, claiming it to be "normal" operation of the transmission. Warranty on the transmission has been extended to 10yr/100,000mile, though not in response to this issue, according to dealership.
Aug 11th I turned a corner in my 2008 vw gti with ~29,8xx miles on the odometer, accelerated briskly in 2nd gear at approx 4000 RPM the car bucked and shuddered and lost power. When the RPM's dropped about 500rpm the motor regained power until about 4000 RPM and then the car bucked, shuddered and lost power again. This continued to happen as long as the accelerator peddle was depressed. This happened in every gear. Luckily this happened on a long freeway entrance ramp prior to my attempt to merge with freeway traffic. I took it to the dealer and the ecu had a low fuel pressure code. This apparently is a known issue and they replaced the cam, high pressure fuel pump and cam follower. Apparently the high pressure fuel pump is driven off the cam and over time punches a hole in the cam follower and then rides directly on the cam shaft causing scoring and resulting in the failure I experienced. I specifically asked to see the old parts as I wanted to ascertain the amount of metal shavings that were now floating around in my engine. For whatever reason they did not save the parts and sent them back to vw since this repair was under warranty.
Harsh shifting during acceleration in 2008 volkswagen gti with dsg transmission.
My car is a 2008 vw gti with the dsg transmission. The transmission is very noisy, extremely difficult to drive at low speeds, and is jerky and bucks when downshifting. At low speeds, the clutch engages with a jerk and the car lurches forward to accelerate. When down shifting, it is difficult to brake because as the gears are disengaging and reengaging in a jerky manner, the amount of brake force required to stop changes too. I received a recall letter about this from volkswagen of america, but the dealership denies any letter was sent to me and that there is nothing wrong with my vehicle.
Hard jerking based in auto transmission occurring when in drive at a stop with no pressure applied to either the brake or the gas. This occurs consistently and daily under normal, in-town driving conditions.
I own a 2008 volkswagen gti and am having manual transmission problems, three months of owning the car my first gear scynro has gone out,(disintegrated) this problem has been repaired under warranty. And now has gone out a second and a third time. The second time same dealer same warranty repair. For the third repair the dealer has denied my warranty for the part in question. I'm currently trying to get a hold of vw in germany, because volkswagen of america's customer service is not willing to help me.
The car lurches when moving from a stop. This is a big issue in traffic due to the lag that exists in application of throttle to actual movement. What also happens is a momentary neutral when you apply full throttle when moving. This is not like a normal kickdown, the car does nothing at first then rockets forward , to the extent that it is very difficult to drive in stop and go traffic. I have had numerous close call in this car as a result of the transmission shift patterns. These are all present after driving the car 20+ miles to work in traffic.
Questions about the 2008 Volkswagen GTI transmission
Does the 2008 Volkswagen GTI have transmission problems?
Owners have filed 40 complaints about the transmission of the 2008 Volkswagen GTI, 60% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2008 Volkswagen GTI transmission problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 16,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Volkswagen GTI transmission?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Volkswagen GTI have bad transmission?
The Volkswagen GTI model years with the most transmission complaints are 2019 (62 complaints), 2007 (40 complaints) and 2008 (40 complaints).
Other 2008 Volkswagen GTI problems
Engine 7Lights 7Fuel system 6Airbags 3Tires 3Seat belts 2Acceleration 1Driver assistance 1Electrical 1Visibility 1
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